Climate Inequality Report 2025: Top 1% Hold 41% Ownership Emissions
Why in the news
The report ‘Climate Change: A Capital Challenge’ argued that climate policy must address who owns polluting assets.
Key findings
| Measure | Top 1% globally | Other points |
|---|---|---|
| Ownership-based emissions | 41% | Top 10% in US, Germany and France: 3-5 times consumption-based estimates |
| Consumption-based emissions | 15% | Top 1% in France 3%, Germany 2%, US 6% |
| Emissions vs bottom 50% (per person) | About 680 times (ownership) | About 75 times (consumption) |
- If the wealthy own all climate investments, the top 1% wealth share could climb from 38.5% to 46% by 2050.
Policy recommendations
- Carbon-adjusted wealth tax on the carbon content of assets; at €150 per tonne it would raise €36B in France, €74B in Germany and $534B in the US.
- Ban new fossil fuel investments.
- Shared public ownership of low-carbon infrastructure and a shift of capital from high-carbon assets.
Exam angle
- Publisher: World Inequality Lab.
- Key idea: ownership-based emissions.